The Impact of the Sugar and Silver Trade Webs on the Pertinent Nations Essay Example

During their exploration, they stumbled upon a city called Potosi, which possessed an immense reserve of natural silver. Motivated by the opportunity to trade silver and their ambition to establish dominance in China, they aggressively conquered vast regions of South America as part of their imperial ambitions.

Potosi quickly transformed from a small city to the largest city in South America within a few decades. This was mainly because it became the center of silver mining and production. The silver that was mined and produced in South America was transported to China by ships. This increased trade relations between Spain and China, as there was a high demand for silver in the Chinese economy, where silver was used as currency.

The Spanish also took the silver to Europe and traded it for other desired goods, such as coal and ship parts. These trading areas, dominated by the British, were interconnected, resulting in the woman in the picture holding silver tongs that were extracted from mines in South America and transported all the way across the Atlantic. The trading of silver in the 1500’s played a significant role in the development of modern day globalization. However, this trade and globalization had detrimental effects on the nations whose natural resources were being exploited. The silver that the Spanish traded worldwide did not originally belong to them.

The Spanish exerted their dominance in South America through violent means. The native people of South America were essentially enslaved, compelled to toil for extensive hours under hazardous circumstances, all in a bid to fulfill the Spanish's insatiable appetite for silver, the lucrative silver trade, and the accompanying advantages it provided. The Andeans were

coerced into laboring in the Potosi mines, enduring such brutal conditions that a staggering seven out of ten mine workers would either succumb to mining accidents or die prematurely from prolonged exposure to dangerously elevated levels of mercury throughout their working lives.

The working conditions in Potosi were so harsh that it became known as the "Mouth of Death"#. At this time, Andean society underwent a complete overhaul. Peasants were compelled to toil in the mines for an unfathomable 18 hours per day, receiving meager wages. Considering the high mortality rates among mine-workers, it would be an understatement of epic proportions to describe the Spanish as merely cruel colonialists.

The population of South America started to decline due to the high mortality rates in silver mining and production. To meet the global demand for silver and fulfill Spanish ambitions in trade, African slaves were brought in as laborers. The increase in silver benefited the Spanish, Chinese, and other European nations economically and socially by providing them with larger quantities than previously available.

In the early 16th century, silver symbolized wealth in nations such as Britain and was frequently displayed in a flashy manner. Nevertheless, with the influx of silver from South America, it became more obtainable and necessary, thus continuing a harmful cycle of exploitation. This cycle impacted vulnerable South Americans and African slaves at the lowest level, who were compelled to endure exhausting labor and endanger their lives in a city known as the Mouth of Death.

During the early 15th century, the trade of sugar had a profound global influence. Like silver, sugar was initially employed for showy purposes. Nevertheless, with the rise of industrialization and increasing

awareness in Europe about the versatile applications of sugar, its demand surged. Consequently, only affluent women from high social strata could afford sugar as depicted in the accompanying image where they are shown using sugar alongside silver tongs.

In the early 16th century, Britain emerged as a leader in industrial development in Europe. The working classes in different European countries, such as Britain and Spain, recognized the nutritional advantages of sugar. By consuming sugar, they experienced higher energy levels and were able to work longer hours as they aimed for better living conditions. It was during this period that France and England started establishing significant influence in the Caribbean Islands known for their fertile lands suitable for growing sugar.

In the past, Europe primarily obtained sugar from Brazil and other South American countries. However, due to increasing demand for sugar in Europe, the English and French decided to create their own sugar plantations in the Caribbean. To satisfy the labor needs of these plantations, a significant number of slaves were brought over from Africa. Both the British and French purchased numerous African slaves who experienced arduous work hours without fair pay or sufficient nourishment. This mistreatment of African slaves further deteriorated their living and working conditions compared to those in South America. The growth of the sugar trade made it more accessible to a wider population rather than remaining an exclusive luxury for only the wealthy.

The increasing demand for sugar had numerous benefits for various groups of people, including the British working class. The demand steadily rose over time, benefiting not only the common European populace but also the British and French empires. These empires expanded their

colonial conquests and emerged as leaders in global sugar trading, alongside the Portuguese. The Colonial Powers also profited greatly financially due to cheap slave labor and substantial profits from reduced prices for sugar, despite its shift from luxury to necessity.

The production of sugar had a devastating impact on both the Caribbean Islands and the region of modern-day Bolivia, where Potosi is situated. The establishment of sugar plantations resulted in the destruction of vast areas of natural farmland, causing irreparable harm to the land. Additionally, the indigenous people who originally inhabited these regions were forcibly enslaved and subjected to deplorable living conditions. Any resistance was met with brutal torture or murder.

The treatment of African Slaves brought in was horrific, as slave trade became an integral part of the sugar trade web formed across the Atlantic. As mentioned in Lisa Lindsay's book, "The plantation models involved millions of doomed Africans, making it one of the most profitable collective enterprises in history." These trading connections between countries like Spain and China, established across the Atlantic, played a crucial role in the early stages of modern globalization.

Trade facilitated a shift from self-sufficiency to specialization among nations. Instead of relying solely on domestic production, nations began to leverage their unique strengths to trade for goods and products that were not readily available within their own borders. This shift was particularly evident in colonial powers like Spain in South America. They heavily relied on the resources of the lands they conquered, such as the vast silver mines of Potosi. These resources played a crucial role in sustaining their ambition of potentially colonizing China in the future.

Burgeoning trade between nations across continents

led to specialization, as countries started focusing on producing goods they were best suited for and trading for higher quality goods they couldn't produce themselves. This trade chain resulted in an overall enhancement in the quality and quantity of products like tea, jute, silver, and sugar in various countries globally, leading to a substantial improvement in average living standards.

The establishment of trading routes in the early 16th century sparked a global shift from the tributary system to a more capitalistic approach. Countries vied for technological advantages and enhanced production methods, all fueled by the pursuit of financial gain through trade and colonization. This ambition proved extremely advantageous for both Europe and the rest of the world.

The exchange of sugar and silver globally in the 15th century was pivotal for the rapid growth of globalization. From a European perspective, this trade proved mutually advantageous. The Colonial Powers gained more territories across various continents, employed enslaved labor, and transported African slaves to meet rising demand for silver and sugar within their own nations. Additionally, these resources were traded with Far-Eastern countries like China and India through the continent, fostering international interdependence and initiating the process of globalization during this era.

Despite some advancements, the progress achieved came with a heavy price. The Andean communities, for example, were utterly destroyed and their native inhabitants were subjected to forced enslavement. These populations endured horrendous living conditions while their lands were mercilessly exploited. In Potosi, under Spanish rule, an astonishing 32 million pounds of silver were exported—a stark representation of the extent of exploitation. This insatiable European desire for trade dominance and imperial expansion fueled the growth of the slave trade,

perpetuating centuries-long abuse against countless innocent African Americans.

As trading webs gradually connected, the world became more interconnected, resulting in increased interconnectivity. In 1848, the abolition of slave trade occurred due to growing global awareness of the cruel treatment based on skin color. Nonetheless, today's society still bears the effects of this. Additionally, complex networks made household products such as sugar and silver widely accessible, leading to notable improvements in living conditions during that period.

The picture portrayed in this paper symbolizes the historical era leading up to the present. Despite the success achieved by British, Spanish, and other colonial powers in obtaining their desires, they did so by mistreating and exploiting both people and land that were never intended to be under their control. The sources referenced in this paper include Lisa Lindsay's book "Captives as Commodities: The Transatlantic Slave Trade" (2008), chapters 1-3 of Robert Marks' "The Origins of the Modern World" (2007), and Roger Rouse's lectures on World History at Carnegie Mellon University in September-October 2011.